[Firefighting. Photo Credit to Pixabay]

AI cameras played a decisive role in combating the 2025 Southern California wildfires, providing critical early detection and predictive intelligence that saved lives and property.

While the National Interagency Fire Center reports that the number of wildfires has not increased dramatically from 1983 to 2024, the burned area has increased each year on average, indicating a rise in large fires such as wildfires, industrial fires, and structural fires. 

This growing threat makes technological innovations like AI cameras essential.

The Southern California fires follow other major events including 2023-2024 Australian bushfire season, 2024 South American wildfires, 2023 Canadian wildfires - all among the century’s most destructive.

As climate change intensifies, wildfires have become one of the most dangerous natural disaster phenomena worldwide.

Effectively fighting forest fires is crucial to decrease burning area and damage, and using technology in firefighting is emerging as a vital advancement.

AI cameras equipped with smart fire detection systems that identify fire risks in real time are highly favoured as an important firefighting technology.

These cameras continuously monitor temperature, smoke, and gas levels, sending real-time information to control centers to determine whether a fire has occurred and its progress status.

The system alerts firefighters to respond earlier to wildfires.

The information from these AI cameras is used to make decisions on how much equipment or manpower should be mobilized for fire suppression, saving considerable time. 

If the fire spreads and leads to large forest fires, the AI camera’s role becomes more important in extinguishing the fire. 

AI forecasts the path where the fire will spread or grow based on  data gathered from the cameras, such as wind, gas level, and stream of flames.

The best way to confront a forest fire is to prevent the flames from spreading, so faster detection with AI about the fire's progress is very significant information for fast action.

As quick and accurate response is especially required in forest firefighting, more accurate and fast prediction generated by AI than human prediction is valued as an important firefighting technology. 

Up to now, forest fires were considered uncontrolled and unpredictable; however, it is hoped that forest fires, which cause great damage to humanity, will be controlled through prediction with the advent of AI. 

At actual wildfire sites, AI cameras with fire detection systems are already being utilized actively to support firefighting.

In the 2025 Southern California wildfires, AI cameras are evaluated as offering a major contribution to extinguishing the fire that was growing out of control rapidly. 

Marcus Hernandez, deputy chief in Cal Fire’s Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development, said, “The sensors assist with various things like thermal imaging, fire perimeters, preliminary damage assessment, including preliminary aerial and satellite assessment, to let those damage inspection crews know what areas to go to.” 

As the capability of AI cameras has been proved, AI camera technology should be developed to become the leading eyes in fire suppression to protect firefighters and public safety from wildfires.